Chapter 9: Rubiks’s Invitation

“Rubiks’s Tower, you say?”

Rubiks is the name of the divine throne worshiped by Revan.  

And since War Mages are a sect of magic users, Rubiks’s Tower is like a Shrine to them.

That’s why Revan immediately sensed it.

“This is a Class Scenario!”

Revan had obtained the Golden Cube of Rubiks’s Tower by clearing a hidden quest called ‘The Magic User’s Chest.’

Of course, when he first received and started the quest, he hadn’t really thought much about its contents.

That was because the quests he had received at the time were all so dull and forgettable that they barely left an impression.

So Revan ignored the quest details altogether and focused only on the core requirements needed to clear the quest.

He thought to himself, *Well, even for a Legendary Class, the job information was too scarce.*

In that sense, he decided to forgive himself for having caught 100 rabbits barehanded this time.

This reward was significant in many ways for Revan, who had no job information at all.

After checking the cube’s information, Revan examined its shape.

‘44 Cube.’

Not 22 or 33, but a 44 Cube.

It was the first time a 44 Cube had appeared.

This cube was called the Revenge Cube, and true to its name, it was an upgraded version of the 33 Cube, with four squares per row.

Of course, it wasn’t particularly difficult for Revan.

That’s because, unless a cube requires very specific conditions, most cube solutions were quite similar.

As Revan completed the Golden Cube, the system notified him.

[You have successfully solved the Golden Cube of Rubiks’s Tower.]

[Qualification established.]

[Rubiks wishes to invite you to his space. Do you accept the invitation?]

Rubiks, the divine throne, officially invited Revan to his Tower.

“Of course I’m going.”

[Moving to Rubiks’s Tower.]

A brilliant golden light engulfed Revan’s vision.

~

[You have entered Rubiks’s Tower.]

With the system’s electronic tone, Revan opened his eyes.

The surroundings were dark at first, but then—

Bang!

Like the lights of a stadium suddenly turning on, a vast radiance filled the space, brightening everything.

Through the illuminated fog emerged a scene reminiscent of a Shrine.

At the center of the Shrine sat a large figure wearing a robe resembling a military field cloak, sitting upright.

“Rubiks?”

Revan called out the name directly.

He hadn’t recognized him instinctively—it was just that above the figure’s head, a nameplate reading ‘Rubiks’ was displayed.

As Revan spoke the name, Rubiks slowly lifted his head.

*Wow, is this for real?*

Seeing Rubiks respond to his call gave Revan goosebumps.

After all, this wasn’t just any throne—this was a divine throne-level existence.

Playing a Warlord, Revan had never seen a divine throne-level entity before.

Naturally, he was both thrilled and awestruck.

Then Rubiks descended from the Shrine and slowly approached Revan.

When he stood before him, Revan was almost overwhelmed by Rubiks’s immense size.

Rubiks said, “Welcome, my one and only Successor.”

With a majestic voice, Rubiks struck a commanding pose.

Being a divine throne-level 400, even his stance exuded dignity.

So Revan immediately bowed.

“Yes, Lord Rubiks.”

To Revan, Rubiks was like a master or a deity.

Yet, despite the bowing, Rubiks gave an unexpected response.

“Well then, let’s begin, Successor.”

“W-What?”

There was no time to ask why.

Suddenly, Rubiks appeared behind Revan and delivered a powerful punch to his waist.

Insane pain.

His waist felt like it was breaking.

Revan’s vision blurred.

“Tch, hngh…!”

The pain was so excruciating that he could barely utter a groan.

This was, without exaggeration, the worst pain Revan had experienced in his entire Warlord career.

“Ugh…”

Revan writhed on the ground in agony.

Watching this, Rubiks crossed his thick arms, stared down at Revan, and said,

“Everyone makes mistakes. But mistakes must never be repeated. I question your character, but since you are my one and only Successor, I will forgive you this once.”

“T-Thank you…”

The intense pain and overwhelming power made Revan realize what he had done wrong.

That wrong was the curse he muttered toward Rubiks after completing the rabbit-catching quest.

Grinding his teeth, Revan thought,

“What a petty bastard… What kind of divine throne would punish their god just for some bad words…”

But contrary to his thoughts, Revan had no choice but to apologize.

“I-I’m sorry, Lord Rubiks…”

“Repentance suits you.”

With a snap, Rubiks cracked his knuckles.

Suddenly, the excruciating pain in Revan’s waist disappeared as if it had never existed.

“Ah… What…?”

The burning pain faded like a vanishing illusion, leaving Revan bewildered and empty.

What on earth did he just do?

That was the exact expression on Revan’s face.

Rubiks chuckled and said,

“Ha ha, you shouldn’t be so easily shaken, Successor. Both the pain you felt and its removal come from the power of the War Mage.”

“The power of the War Mage?”

“Yes, that’s right, Successor.”

Rubiks said proudly, and Revan looked at him with a mix of annoyance and awe.

Still, he decided to stay humble.

Rubiks, like it or not, was a precious divine throne who would oversee his character.

But humility didn’t change his desire to leave this place as soon as possible.

So he decided to push the conversation forward quickly.

“…Lord Rubiks, by the way, may I ask why you summoned me here?”

“I was about to tell you that. First, congratulations on becoming the second War Mage to succeed me in this world, Successor.”

“Thank you, Lord Rubiks.”

“Now, before I explain why I invited you, how do you feel about having experienced the power of a War Mage, even if only briefly?”

“May I be honest?”

“Good. I hate liars.”

“Understood. To be honest, it’s really the best.”

“Of course. I knew you’d say that. Then why do you think it’s the best?”

“It’s because of this cube.”

Revan pulled out the cube using a hold command.

He then spent some time praising the cube and earnestly explaining to Rubiks how he thought to connect magic with the cube.

The reason was simple.

Quick progress in the conversation was important, but since this was the first time he met a divine throne-level 486, he wanted to absorb every possible benefit.

“After all, it doesn’t help to resist Rubiks. Better to suck up as much as possible.”

Like a traitor in a ruined kingdom, Revan did his best to flatter Rubiks.

As a result, Rubiks became very pleased and started viewing Revan in a new light.

“Ha ha ha! I think I picked the right Successor. I honestly didn’t expect you to understand my will so thoroughly.”

“Not at all. I think it’s all thanks to your excellent judgment, Lord Rubiks.”

“Hoho, to think you understand me so well… well then, this conversation will be swift. Successor, as my one and only, will you carry on my will and spread it throughout the world?”

Awesome! 

The initial result was excellent.

Rubiks laughed so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed, his fondness for Revan exploding.

Thanks to that, the Class Scenario was already beginning to take shape.

Revan, sensing the change in Rubiks’s mood, eagerly accepted the proposal as if it were a gift.

“Of course. If someone as insignificant as me can carry on your will, I could live in glory forever just on that alone.”

“Krkrkr! Good, good! That’s the spirit! Then I shall trust you wholeheartedly and entrust my long-held grudge to you.”

[Rubiks proposes that you inherit his will.]

[If you accept Rubiks’s proposal, the Epic Quest will commence.]

[The Epic Quest cannot be canceled.]

[Do you accept Rubiks’s proposal?]

Notifications poured in before his eyes.

As expected, this was a Class Scenario—an Epic Quest.

“An Epic Quest for a Legendary Class. There’s no reason to refuse!”

All job classes can undertake Epic Quests.

But the more common the job, the more people undertaking the same Epic Quest.

In that case, no matter how generous the reward is, its market value inevitably drops due to supply and demand.

However, War Mages are Legendary Classes and the only one among Legendary Classes.

In other words, the rewards for Revan’s Epic Quest would never depreciate in value; they were noble and precious in themselves.

Revan happily accepted the proposal.

[Accept.]

[Rubiks’s proposal accepted.]

[Epic Quest granted.]

[From now on, all magic users will regard you as hostile.]

A brief silence.

Then—

“What? Hostility? What’s this about?”

He wasn’t mistaken.

The game system wouldn’t lie just to mess with a player.

That meant—

“Epic Quest?”

There was a problem with the Epic Quest he just received.

Revan’s gaze shifted from the second notification to the third.

[Engage in conversation with Rubiks to learn the details of the Epic Quest.]

Though he accepted the Epic Quest, the actual quest content hadn’t been revealed yet.

Instead, he was told to discover the details through talking with Rubiks.

In other words, he had qualified to receive the Epic Quest but hadn’t yet officially received it.

Something about this felt off.

Rubiks said,

“Hoho, Successor, you are now formally my Successor, the only Apostle who inherits my will. Do you understand what that means?”

“…Not really.”

“To put it simply, you will now have to wage war against all other magic users in this world.”

“...What?”

Revan opened his eyes wide in shock.